Monday, December 21, 2015

USGS launches new website for Gold King Mine spill

The USGS has launched a new website - http://water.usgs.gov/owq/gkm/ which provides water data, images, reports and interactive maps related to the Gold King Mine accidental spill which happened on August 5, 2015 near Silverton, Colorado. [Right, Animas River below Silverton, CO, on Aug. 13, 2015. Credit, USGS]

The website serves as a one-stop-shop and single source of USGS information and data related to the spill and provides links to:

· Water quality databases for recent and historical sample analyses along the spill area.

· Interactive maps of current and past USGS water-quality sampling sites and real-time streamgages in the San Juan River watershed, including Cement Creek and Animas River.

· Satellite imagery of the watershed area including both pre and post-event data.

· A selected bibliography of past USGS reports on abandoned mine lands and natural sources of metals and acidity to streams in the Silverton area.

· A gallery of Gold King Mine photos taken by USGS field personnel the week of August 10, 2015.[modified from the USGS announcement]

The Arizona Geological Survey maintains an interactive web map with sample locations and results from all of the state and federal agencies monitoring the spill and its aftermath, at http://maps.azgs.az.gov/gold-king-mine-spill/. You can search for any samples that exceeded drinking water standards, and over what time period.